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Has anyone out there ever dismantled their Reversing Camera. I have a wireless one which continually fogs up (even though I live in Spain) It now does not work. Any tips please on trying to cure it. Thanks. I did post this some weeks ago - got 80 views but no comments, perhaps this subject is just too difficult!! for us moterhomers! Would appreciate some guidance.
I am having a similar problem although mine is not wireless. I too am in Spain, Vinaros at present but will be heading on South soon. If I could find a competent technical person between here and Murcia I would go and see if they can help. I think my camera may be out of action. Having looked closely at all the components I can find no makers name. I have checked all the connections, fuses etc. and all seems OK.
Any suggestions as to who might be able to help? I know about Nova Caravans at Oliva and Movil Rodan at Castellon. I don't know how good either of them are but I may try either or both. There is one close to the services at Benicarlo but I don't know if they do service work. Suggestions welcome.
If I end up at any of the above and they can help I will let you know, Alan.
Edits: Just remembered SurCaravanning at Estepona seem to be quite capable if you happen to be as far south as that anytime.
Then there is the Dutch guy, can't remember his name, who is usually around LaMarina, he may be able to help. I may re-post my query and see if anyone else has any ideas.
It sounds to me as though damp is getting into yours. Coldish some nights, could be condensation. I would dry it out and seal it.
Thank you for that Erneboy. Nice to see that someone out there cares (I am a newbie). There is a decent place just off the AP7 very near to Cartagena called 'Caravanas SANGAR'. Just follow signs for Los Beatos then Los Camachos after the small roundabout go under the bridge and it is there on your left. (Lat: 37Deg 39', 34" - Long: 0 Deg 54', 14 W.
Ask for HENK, he is Dutch but speaks English German & Spanish. They have a nice shop and a workshop.
Website is www.caravanassangar.com
Thanks Lockie. Thats me taken care of. I think yours is condensation. I would remove the camera and leave it somewhere warm and dry for a few days, maybe give it a warm with a hair dryer now and again. Then I would use a little clear silicone on any joints or screw holes. If that cures it I would later replace the silicone with white Sikaflex which should be a permanent job.
Location: Home is where the RV is... Well actually it’s where the house is, but I prefer the RV
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Hi Lockie,
As erneboy says it sounds like condensation to me as well, as yet I have never tackled one personally, but I would look to split the case, there will be a joint somewhere probably using the “Hex and Torx” bolts, gentle care will be required as the optic lens may or may not be fasten to one side of the case, if it is then you have no issues if not you need care to make sure you line it back up when rebuilding. When open I suspect you may find green or black mould as a result of the damp, this needs to be cleaned away fully without damaging the boards or connectors using a light electrical contact cleaner. Allow to fully dry and then reassemble and test if good then reseal as per erneboy suggestions. If you have damp within the optic lens section itself I would consider expert assistance to see if it is recoverable, probably is but is it worth the cost?
______________________________________________________________ Regards
Steve
Touchwood RV Electrical "The home of Caravan, Motorhome and Horsebox 12, 120 & 240 Volt electrical and non electrical related accessories" All our prices include VAT and postage to UK Post Code addresses. There is a small charge at the check out for European Postal Code addresses.
Coach: 07 Monaco Cayman 36PDQ
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I fitted a batch of cameras about 6 years ago and most of them had this problem. It was condensation and I had to dry them out and then just siliconed around all the joints. This cured the problem.
Virtually all small video cameras will suffer condensation when there are wide temperature changes and the humidity is high. There's not a lot you can do really, opening them up and drying out will only be a temporary solution and you'll probably ruin the seal when doing it. I've tried putting silica gel in the housing but again, it only works for a few days then gets saturated.
The thing that really gets on my nerves is the reflection you get from the glass when those stupid infra-red lights come on, the Chinese have discovered that it's cheaper to use a cheap CCD or CMOS and provide infra red LEDs for night use rather than use a decent low-lux CCD so now they're almost universal.
The professional jobbies have a heating element between lens and glass to keep the condensation away. On our first 'van I made my own enclosure and put a wire-wound resistor just under the camera lens to keep it warm - it worked too, any condensation always cleared within 15 min of switching on!
______________________________________________________________ If you lend someone £20 and never see that person again, it was probably well worth it.
Hi I am also having trouble and getting a message no signal I am going to use a dvd player with the video out lead (yellow) to feed it a signal to see if it is a camera fault or a sreen fault.
There is a business in Ramsgate Kent that sell new cameras and screens as seperate or complete systems.
Andy
______________________________________________________________ There are no typing, spelling, or grammatical errors in my post. What you are seeing is the evolution of the English language in action.
This post may be unsuitable for overly sensitive persons with low self-esteem, no sense of humour or irrational religious beliefs,if you are please disregard the above post. Andy
I found this article it might help somebody. I have tried the dvd player through the screen on the dash and that works so it has to be the camera I read through this artical and mine has crimped power joints so I will solder them but looks as if it may be a new camera.
Andy
Reversing Cameras UK HomeInformation pages Fault finding
Fault finding
A brief guide to tracing reversing camera system faults.
Reversing Camera Fault Finding
As each system is different producing a generic fault finding set of notes is not easy!
Monitors
If you do not have a picture on your monitor then look very carefully at the screen. If you can see a very dark image on the screen then the backlight has failed. It is the end of the road for the monitor and replacement is necessary.
If the monitor has an LED that lights up when it has power, then if this is not lit check there is 12v going to the monitor. Monitors often have a black filter box and inside is a small fuse. It is not uncommon for these to blow or even drop out of the fuse holder.
If your monitor has power and a completely black screen then try it without a camera plugged in. We have known some camera faults cause this to happen. Without a camera plugged in you should get a blue screen with “no signal” showing. This would indicate the monitor is working correctly. Some monitors will automatically power off when no signal is received – often takes 10 seconds. This again is normal. Pressing the on/off button should turn it back on.
If there are large black areas on the monitor screen then this is caused by the front of the screen being pressed too hard. This is physical damage and not covered by the guarantee.
If you are sure the monitor has power and it does not respond to the on off button then the chances are it has failed. It is worth disconnecting it from the power and reconnecting. We have known a monitor “freeze” and is reset by this.
Strange menus. This can happen when the software becomes corrupt. We can sometimes resolve this, but often it needs returning to the factory.
Smoke! This is easy as the monitor has failed. Smoke is unusual but it can happen. If you are just fitting it then you have wired it in wrong. If it has been running for some time then it may be a voltage surge. We have met some vehicles that destroy monitors on a regular basis. Often ex-military vehicles do this. A heavy duty voltage regulator is a long term solution and we would suggest that one is fitted on the first time a monitor fails in this way.
Cameras
Usually a camera either works or it does not work. Intermittent faults are almost always wiring issues. In the past cameras with IR LEDs could have the power supply checked by looking to see if they glowed a faint red in the dark. Modern cameras often have LEDs that do not glow. If you are getting no signal from the camera check it is getting power and check the AV cable through to the monitor. We have known mice eat through a cable on a motorhome! Also if your camera is wired in to the reversing light check your light is actually coming on.
If you are sure it is getting power then test it out on a different monitor – they can be fed into the yellow RCA socket of TVs. If you have no joy then returning for testing is the only option.
If you are wiring the camera in to a DVVD head unit for the first time good luck! They almost always need you to do something extra. This can vary from attaching a wire to earth or the reversing light through to altering a menu setting. Reading your manual or visiting bulletin boards for your unit will save time in the long run.
If when you plug a camera in for the first time it is black and white, often with poor frame hold then you have the wrong TV system. The two main ones are PAL and NTSC. Most modern monitors will take both, but some (Alpines plus German screens) are NTSC only. If your unit takes both then check you have it set to “AUTO” in the menu settings.
If you camera has leaked then you can usually see the condensation on the inside. Also it will look dirty on the inside glass. Once it has leaked replacement is the only option.
Around 40% of items returned are working perfectly. Around 60% of items return by electricians work perfectly! The most common fault is power supply. Almost always it is crimped terminals and not proper soldered and insulated joins.
Around 50% of cameras that have failed will have a cause like a damaged cable. The entry point into the rear of the camera is top of the list. Always make sure the cable cannot flap around and create a strain on this point. Around 10% of cameras that have failed are due to being subject to reverse polarity. This fries the camera instantly. Always check you are wiring it in correctly.
Never use thin cable clips on cables. We saw an example on an HGV where the cable had been cut through because of a tight clip. As the fuse kept blowing it had been replaced by normal wire. The cable itself had been tightly coiled so the short eventually produced got it hot enough to melt and with no fuse to protect it came very close to causing a serious fire. Any excess cable should be in loose coils. Duct tape is by far the best to secure cable in most areas. If you use a clip add a bit of protection around the cable.
Remember do not have nightmares after reading this. Considering the hostile operating environment these are used in the failure rates are low. A system should give many years of use and should outlive the vehicle in many cases.
______________________________________________________________ There are no typing, spelling, or grammatical errors in my post. What you are seeing is the evolution of the English language in action.
This post may be unsuitable for overly sensitive persons with low self-esteem, no sense of humour or irrational religious beliefs,if you are please disregard the above post. Andy
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UK
Reversing Camera u/s - help
